Admission Options

Da Vinci Explorer Pass = Best Value
Includes access to all of the Air Zoo's aircraft, permanent exhibits, rides, 4D theater experience, and full-motion flight simulators, a 20% discount on all Smithsonian merchandise in the Fly Buy Museum Store AND full access to the Air Zoo's amazing new exhibit Da Vinci: The Exhibition, which takes guests of all ages on a thrilling interactive and hands on journey through the life, inventions, and art of Leonardo da Vinci!

Additional Attractions:Tigers: Tracking a Legend - Visitors engage their senses of sight, sound, touch, and smell as they track a mother tiger and her two cubs through a collection of multi-sensory exhibits that highlight the physiology, behavior, and daily lives of these amazing animals.

The Air Zoo always needs volunteers! If you would like to volunteer your time, contact us!

Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat

The Hellcat was considerably faster than the Mitsubishi Zero in level flight and on average at all altitudes. The F6F could match or slightly exceed the Zeke's rate of climb at above 10,000 feet and was superior in most categories at higher altitudes. It had twice the power and weight, and could out-dive the Zeke. However, the Zero had better turning, especially below 230 mph, but the Hellcat could match it above that.

Historical Impact

The Hellcat did more than fight other aircraft. It played a very important roll as a ground attack aircraft as well. In both strafing runs and dive bombing, the cats performed admirably.

The F6F Hellcat shot down 4,947 enemy aircraft out of 6,477 downed by the Navy in the South Pacific. This is equal to 76 percent of all naval air victories in that theater.

Although it was in combat for only two years, the Hellcat accounted for 5,155 destroyed Japanese planes with the loss of only 170 cats.

Did You Know?

Post-war, Hellcats were converted to drones.

On its first appearance on October 12, 1943, Hellcats shot down 21 Japanese with a loss of two cats.